ANOTHER WIN FOR MEDIA DEMOCRACY

Take that, Rupert Murdoch! Invoking its authority to "veto" decisions of regulatory agencies, the Senate voted 55 to 40 to overturn FCC moves to loosen controls on media ownership. "What Americans see, hear and read is increasingly controlled by a few people. That is not in the public interest," declared Senator Byron Dorgan, sponsor of the measure that the White House, Senate leaders and the broadcast conglomerates sought to derail. Before the vote, Dorgan accepted petitions from 342,000 Americans calling on Congress to kill the FCC rules. "Broadcast stations operate on airwaves that are owned by the public.... The FCC seems to have forgotten that, but the American people have not forgotten," Dorgan said. Next step: Pressure House Speaker Dennis Hastert to let his chamber follow the Senate's lead.

POISON IVY

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